What better time and place than Cannes, the
annual parade of cinema’s superpowers, to reveal
who in the Arab film industry has mattered most in
the past twelve months? So here it is, our second
GOLDEN 101. Over the following pages you will
see names of the hundred talents and entities –
plus one extra thrown in for good measure at the
end – that the world really needs to know based on
our assessment of their recent business history in
Arab film. They are not ranked, please note, but
ordered alphabetically by first names and grouped
together alongside their immediate peers. And
just to be clear, the names were all chosen for their
recent contributions to Arab-language cinema.
Inevitably, more of more of the Arab world’s top
talents are being poached by the streaming giants.
We recognize this overlap but we have tried to
focus on those who matter in the context of the
Cannes Film Festival. This also means that the
emergent powers from Arab television and digital
media will have to wait for future editions when we
take measure of their particular contributions to
Arab storytelling. Let the debates begin!

The brainchild of MAD Solutions (see above), the ACC was created five years as
an umbrella presence at film events to advocate and where necessary agitate
- on behalf of Arab cinema and culture the world over. This very magazine is one
visible expression of that commitment, and so also are all the new avenues that
are opening for Arab projects and filmmakers in countries where not so long ago
they were invisible (read the special tribute in this issue).

What better time and place than Cannes, the annual parade of cinema’s superpowers, to reveal who
in the Arab
film industry has mattered most in the past twelve months? So here it is, our inaugural CANNES
100. Over the
following pages you will see names of the golden hundred talents and entities – plus one extra
thrown in for
good measure at the end – that the world really needs to know based on our assessment of their
recent
business history in Arab film. They are not ranked, please note, but ordered alphabetically by
first names
and grouped together alongside their immediate peers. And just to be clear, for those wondering
why someone
like Algerian-born Sofia Boutella is not on the list just as she is making a splash on the
Croisette with
FAHRENHEIT 451, the names were all chosen for their recent contributions to Arab-language
cinema. This also
means that the emergent powers from Arab television and digital media will have to wait for
future editions
when we take measure of their particular contributions to Arab storytelling. Let the debates
begin!

The 100 Most Important Names in the Arab Film Industry includes industry professionals
that either
represent themselves or entities they work for. The names were all chosen for their
contributions to
Arab-language cinema in the past twelve months, which is why Arab names who participated in
international
films/TV series are not on the list. They are ordered alphabetically by first names and grouped
together
alongside their immediate peers.

The brainchild of MAD Solutions (see above), the ACC was created as an umbrella presence
at film
events to advocate – and where necessary agitate - on behalf of Arab cinema and culture
the world
over. This very magazine is one visible expression of that commitment, and so also are all
the new
avenues that are opening for Arab projects and filmmakers in countries where not so long
ago they were
invisible.